Session 1 / April 2023

This provocative question is at the heart of this top-down session. We will dissect SDG from impact investing strategies and investigate the concrete effects of recent regulatory and sector wake-up calls: What are the effects of SFDR’s regulation (article 9) on investment practices? Is there a reliable impact behind the label? And what are carbon credits really worth? How do we go from promise to reality and what does it take for impact credits to truly work for people, the planet and the investors? This session is moderated by TONIIC. Stay tuned for the speaker and exact date & registration link announcements.

Session 2 / June 2023

This myth-busting session explores how to truly create a more diverse fundraising environment for impact entrepreneurs. While the DEI topic has stirred a wave of new investment practices, they seem to have barely scratched the surface. Therefore, we will hand the mike to the entrepreneurs who experience first-hand the biases and blind spots that funders still have. But we also look for solutions to the diversity dilemma by picking the brains and creativity of the social entrepreneurs themselves. Speakers and exact date to come soon.

Session 3 / September 2023

Exits are one of the key concerns of impact VCs is, especially in times of economic downturn. Questions such as “What is my exit strategy in times of recession and how can I ensure that impact stays at the heart of my portfolio ventures?” are typical and pressing. In this session, we seek to answer them by looking at the best practical hacks and strategies in phases of high inflation and uncertainty by discussing with experienced peers and investors who have been there and done it right. Stay tuned for the speaker and exact date & registration link announcements.

Session 4 / November 2023

The UK is the front runner and has shown that waking up the sleeping bank account beauties can pay off for the impact world. Now, Germany is on the (h)edge to follow suit. But how to unleash the full potential of this yet-untapped source of capital? What needs to be done differently in other ecosystems such as Germany? And which mistakes and obstacles should be avoided? The speakers and exact date for this important topic will be announced soon.

How do we link incentives to impact? Impact investors have been circling around this topic for quite a while. The first thought that typically comes to mind is linking a fund manager’s carried interest to impact. Also, when asked how to bake impact incentives into investments, most professionals jump right into the topic of impact bonds. But how can we directly incentivise the entrepreneurs on the ground and encourage them to achieve more impact? This session was hosted by Martijn Blom, EVPA & Laura Catana, FASE.

We often fall prey to the unrealistic search of unicorns in the impact space. But aren’t most impact ventures actually zebras that are rarely able to provide a 10x exit opportunity? So how can we rethink exits for zebras in a way that avoids mission drift, while remunerating investors for taking the risks? In this session, we discovered uncharted territory with different exit scenarios that include – but are far from being limited to – the typical VC exit route. The hosts of this session were Kristin Siegel, TONIIC & Christoph Rohde, FASE.